Won't You Call Me 'Senpai' ?
by ahsinam33
Summary: Rize tells Syaro that she doesn't have to call her 'senpai' all the time. Syaro isn't particularly happy about the change. But surprisingly, Rize is even unhappier. Rize/Syaro


**Hello, everybody. This is my first GochiUsa fic and my first fanfic in** _ **ages**_ **. I think it's been a few years since I last wrote a fanfic; college really took its toll on me. I intended to write a short oneshot to warm up before writing some longer fanfics. But somehow, this fic ended up a lot longer than I expected.**

 **Also, this is my first time writing an F/F fic. This story isn't really** _ **that**_ **romantic though, so don't expect a confession or anything of that sort. Even so, since I have no experience in F/F fics, tell me if anything bothers you.**

 **Oh well, on with the story. I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own GochiUsa. It belongs to Koi.**

* * *

 **Won't You Call Me 'Senpai'?**

* * *

"Let's have a latte art competition!" Cocoa exclaimed, eyes beaming with excitement.

"Hmmm. That's actually not a bad idea," Rize said with a smile.

Chiya clasped her hands together. "That's an excellent idea, Cocoa-chan! I don't get the chance to do any latte art at Ama Usa An so this should be fun."

"I suppose I'll join in too," Chino said. "It doesn't seem like any more customers are going to come today anyway."

Chiya and Syaro had come to Rabbit House to try out Cocoa's new bread. The weather was fine when they arrived but before long, dark clouds rolled in and the heavy rain that ensued ensured that no more customers would stop by for a cup of coffee that day. Chiya and Syaro would not be able to leave anytime soon either. So Cocoa wracked her brain to come up with an idea to kill time that was better than Chiya's original suggestion of telling ghost stories; hence the latte art competition.

"But I can't make latte art," Syaro said with a frown. "We don't need to do that at Fleur de Lapin."

Cocoa put on a thoughtful face. "Well, in that case, we'll have Rize-chan teach you. She's an expert when it comes to latte art after all."

"That's a good idea." said Chino. "But Rize-san's latte art skills are inhuman. If we're competing against her, we're all going to be competing for second place."

"Yeah," Cocoa said sheepishly. "There's no way any of us will be able to beat Rize-chan."

"Don't exaggerate," said Rize with a light blush. "I'm not _that_ good."

The other four girls stared blankly at Rize.

"Ok, ok," Rize said, averting her eyes. "Then how about this? I'll teach Syaro the basics and then you four can compete. I'll be the judge."

"That should work," said Chiya. "Let's get started then, shall we?"

"Come over here, Syaro," Rize beckoned. "I'll show you how to make latte art."

"Y-yes, senpai!"

Syaro was obviously nervous. _One-on-one lessons_ _with senpai!_ Syaro thought. _Senpai is taking the time to teach me; I have to learn quickly. I can't let her down!_

Rize showed Syaro what to do and then let the younger girl have a try. Naturally it was impossible for Syaro to do too well on her first attempt. But she couldn't let her senpai down so there was no way she was going to give up.

"Tilt the cup a bit more," Rize advised.

"Yes, senpai!"

"Add the milk a little slower."

"Yes, senpai!"

"And it would be better if your hands weren't shaking so much..."

"Y-yes, senpai."

A smile graced Chiya's features as she watched the blonde spend time with her crush. As nervous as she was, Chiya knew Syaro was enjoying herself. But how could Chiya call herself Syaro's childhood friend if she didn't at least _try_ to make things more exciting?

Eyes twinkling with mischief, Chiya said with an innocent smile, "Maybe it would be faster if you gave her some _hands-on_ coaching, Rize-chan."

Syaro's head snapped in Chiya's direction. _Hands-on coaching? Seriously?_

"That's probably a good idea," mused Rize. "Fine. Let's do that then."

"Wh-what?" Syaro stuttered. She wasn't sure she liked where things were heading.

Rize proceeded to stand behind her kouhai, wrap her arms around her and guide Syaro's hands to show her exactly how to make latte art. Syaro couldn't concentrate though; the whole situation was far too much for her to handle. She wasn't sure if she should yell at Chiya later or thank her. She'd probably do both. Meanwhile, Chiya tried to stifle her laughter at Syaro's bright red face.

"Do you think you'll be able to do it yourself now?" Rize asked, pulling away from the younger girl.

"Y-yeah," Syaro stammered. "Thanks for your help, senpai."

"No need to thank me," Rize said with a smile. "Now then, let's start the competition."

"Yes!" Cocoa exclaimed. "Let's do this. I'll amaze everyone with my awesome latte art skills. Just wait and see."

"Overconfidence will bring about your downfall, Cocoa-san."

'Oh, come on, Chino-chan," Cocoa whined. Everyone else laughed.

The girls began preparing their latte art, each showcasing their own unique styles. In the end, Rize couldn't decide who to crown the winner. After all, just trying to compare Cocoa and Chino's very different styles of latte art made her head hurt. And Chiya's latte art was just…

"Senpai, how do you think I did?"

"You did pretty well, Syaro," said Rize. "And to think you never did this before. If you practiced then I think you'd be able to become better than Cocoa in no time."

"Hey! No fair, Rize-chan!"

"Thanks, senpai!" beamed Syaro. The day had turned out to be pretty good for her. Being able to spend time with Rize was always a dream come true for her but being praised by Rize was the icing on the cake.

"But it's all thanks to you, senpai. You teach really well."

"There's no need to thank me, Syaro," Rize said. "And... you don't need to call me 'senpai' all the time either."

Syaro's face fell. "What?" _Did_ _I do something to make her mad?_

"Well, actually it's been bugging me for some time now but I wasn't sure when to say it," Rize replied. "We've been friends for a long time now so you don't have to call me 'senpai'."

"But you're older than me…"

"Yeah, but I'm older than Chiya and Cocoa too and they call me 'Rize-chan'. Well, to be fair, Cocoa didn't know that I was older than her at first but you get my point. We're friends so you don't have to address me as 'senpai'."

Syaro simply stared at Rize wondering what to say in response. For some reason, not addressing the girl in front of her as 'senpai' didn't sit too well with her. The idea of calling her 'Rize-chan' made her feel… uncomfortable.

"Are you worried about what people might say at school?" Rize asked, noticing the rather distressed expression on Syaro's face.

"Well, that's part of the problem…"

"In that case, call me 'senpai' when we're at school. But outside, when it's just us, call me 'Rize'. Or 'Rize-chan', if you want."

Syaro felt a bit better hearing that. At least she'd be able to call her 'senpai' half of the time. It was better than suddenly switching to 'Rize-chan'. And there was no way she'd call her 'Rize'. That would be way too rude in Syaro's opinion.

"O-okay, senpai," Syaro said, forcing a smile. "As you wish."

"Say it now, Syaro-chan!" Cocoa said excitedly.

Syaro nodded slowly and then turned to face Rize. "Thank you for your guidance today, Rize-sen… Rize-ch…chan."

Rize nodded in approval. "You're welcome, Syaro."

* * *

"Here's your tea, Rize-chan," Syaro said, setting down a cup of lavender tea in front of the purple-haired girl.

Rize's eyebrow twitched slightly as she uttered a 'thanks'.

"Excuse me! I'd like to place my order now."

Syaro turned towards the customer and said with a smile, "Yes, ma'am. I'm coming."

"Rize-chan, I need to go take her order. Call me if you need anything."

Rize's eyebrow twitched again. "Ok. Go, Syaro. Don't worry about me."

Rize watched the blonde walk away and let out a sigh. The whole eyebrow twitching had become a fairly common occurrence. The habit started around a week ago. At first, Rize had no idea why it happened. She eventually discovered a pattern but Rize refused to believe that what she was thinking could actually be true. However, two days ago, when she 'accidentally' ran into Syaro at school for the seventh time just to hear the younger girl call her 'senpai', Rize realized there was no denying it; she absolutely did _not_ like it when Syaro called her 'Rize-chan'. Or rather, Rize wanted Syaro to call her 'senpai' and she had no idea why.

So the eyebrow twitching? It happened whenever Syaro called her 'Rize-chan'. The reason? Annoyance. Irritation. Chagrin. Yes, it irked Rize whenever she heard Syaro call her anything other than 'senpai' even though she was the one who suggested the change in the first place.

And it was precisely because it was her idea that she couldn't actually _do_ anything about it. Except to come to Fleur de Lapin and have a cup of lavender tea in the hopes that it would soothe her nerves.

She didn't think it was going to work.

Rize let out another sigh. Life could be such a pain... sometimes due to the most ridiculous reasons.

Rize took a sip of her tea and wearily watched Syaro as she ran about the café. The girl sure was busy what with school and her multiple part-time jobs. She most certainly didn't need Rize to trouble her further by awkwardly asking to be called 'senpai' again. Rize couldn't allow herself to be so selfish. She sighed yet again.

"You're sighing a lot. Are you okay?"

Rize looked up to see Syaro with a worried look on her face. Rize gave her a small smile.

"It's nothing. I'm just a bit tired."

"You should go home and rest then," Syaro said.

"Yeah..."

Rize couldn't tell Syaro that she wanted to stay at Fleur de Lapin for a while longer since for some strange reason, watching Syaro put Rize at ease to some extent. She didn't know why but it did.

"I can call you a cab if you want, Rize-chan."

Rize's eyebrow started twitching immediately. Any sense of ease she may have felt had managed to vanish in an instant.

"There's no need for that," Rize said, rising abruptly from her seat. "I'll be leaving now."

The twin-tailed girl hastily made her way out of the café leaving Syaro to wonder why her senpai had even come in the first place; she had barely touched her tea.

* * *

Usually it was Cocoa who exasperated Rize with her various antics. But as a rather frustrated Rize walked down the streets aimlessly, she realized that she had never felt more exasperated in her life. And to think that she was the reason behind her own predicament.

Well, in all fairness, there was no way Rize could have known that not being called 'senpai' would bother her so much. Syaro was her friend, her equal. So Rize thought it was kind of arrogant of her to make Syaro always refer to her as her senior. Even Maya called her simply 'Rize'. So she had thought that she'd tell Syaro to address her as she would address any other friend.

So why on earth was she so irritated? It didn't make any sense. It really didn't. Was she being arrogant? Or did she have a superiority complex or something? Somehow, Rize didn't feel like either was true. There was some other reason but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Rize stopped walking and took a deep breath to calm herself down. Then she looked around to see where exactly her feet had carried her. When she realized where she was, she frowned.

 _Ok, there's something wrong with me,_ Rize thought bitterly. _Seriously wrong. It's like I_ want _to make myself more miserable._

Rize was upset because she found herself standing in front of Syaro's house. Of all the places she could have gone, why did she have to come here?

Rize looked down to see Wild Geese hopping towards her. He stopped in front of her feet and looked up at her.

"Sorry, buddy," Rize said. "I can't play with you right now. I'm not exactly in the mood..."

Wild Geese stared at her for a while longer before hopping past her. The rabbit stopped in front of Ama Usa An and turned his head to look back at Rize.

Rize blinked. Ama Usa An. Syaro's house was right next to Chiya's place. Somehow, she had managed to forget that. Rize grinned. Syaro's rabbit was a bit too smart.

"Thanks," she said.

The blade of grass in Wild Geese's mouth twitched as if to say, "Sure." Then the rabbit hopped back to his own cardboard abode.

Rize took a few steps to stand at Ama Usa An's door. She'd take Wild Geese's advice and talk to Chiya. Chiya might act silly most of the time and the names she gave her menu items were absolutely eccentric but when it really mattered, Chiya could be pretty serious. And she knew Syaro better than any of them did so maybe Chiya was the best person for Rize to talk to at the moment.

Rize opened the door and walked inside. Luckily for her, the café was empty.

"Welcome," Chiya greeted with her signature smile plastered on her face. "Oh, it's you, Rize-chan. Come in."

Rize gave Chiya an awkward smile and took a seat.

"What will you have?" Chiya asked.

"Huh? Oh. Y-yeah," Rize stuttered. _I should order something, shouldn't I?_ "Green tea, please."

"Okay. Just a minute."

Chiya disappeared into the kitchen and Rize started fidgeting. She needed to talk to Chiya but how exactly was she supposed to start the conversation? The whole matter was ridiculous to begin with. And embarrassing. Also, Rize didn't fully understand the problem herself.

 _Maybe it's best if I don't say anything..._

"Rize-chan? Is something wrong?"

Rize looked up at Chiya in surprise. Was she really being that obvious?

"No, it's nothing," Rize said with a strained smile.

Chiya raised her eyebrows slightly and Rize realized that she really _was_ being that obvious. She let out a sigh of defeat. Resistance was futile.

"Chiya, I..." Rize looked down.

"Yes?" Chiya urged.

"I... I wish Syaro would call me 'senpai' again."

There. She had said it. And now Chiya could laugh at her and call her selfish and arrogant. Rize mentally prepared herself for it even though she knew deep down that Chiya would never do anything of the like.

Maybe Chiya would be simply confused. Yeah, that would make more sense. Rize hadn't really said much after all.

Chiya sat down opposite to Rize. The purple-haired girl looked up expecting to see a quizzical look on her friend's face. Instead, Chiya was smiling at her and had a somewhat amused look in her eyes.

She softly said, "Rize-chan, I think Syaro-chan would like that too."

Rize blinked. That surely caught Rize off guard.

"What?" she asked, not entirely sure she had heard correctly.

Chiya chuckled softly. She knew how Syaro felt about Rize; she knew from the very beginning. Syaro told her everything related to Rize. And so when Rize asked the blonde to address her less formally, even though she did as told in front of her senpai, Syaro didn't fail to confide in Chiya that she wasn't enjoying the change one bit. Syaro had, however, decided to do exactly what Rize wanted with a smile on her face no matter how uncomfortable it made her feel. Chiya didn't even try to object because she knew it was pointless. Once Syaro set her mind on something, there was no stopping her. Especially when said something was related to her crush.

Also, Chiya had been observing Rize for quite some time and recently she had noticed some subtle changes. Rize had been spending more and more time with Syaro lately. Rize often asked her kouhai to help her out with the clubs at their school. On the days that Rize didn't have work, she'd stop by at Fleur de Lapin. And whenever Chiya spotted her there, she noticed the slightly annoyed looks Rize directed at the unsuspecting Aoyama. When the whole group was together, Rize talked with Syaro more than anyone else. Chiya actually caught Rize staring at Syaro a few times.

One thing was for sure; Rize had grown particularly fond of Syaro. Whether or not she realized it herself though was a completely different story.

"You heard correctly, Rize-chan," Chiya said. "But before you ask me anything else, tell me something. Why do you want Syaro-chan to call you 'senpai'?"

"I don't know why," Rize answered after a moment of silence. She looked down at her cup of tea and frowned. "I've been thinking about it a lot but I can't figure it out. All I know is that I don't like it when Syaro calls me 'Rize-chan'."

"Well," said Chiya. "I won't pretend to know the exact reason behind that but I can make a guess."

"You can?" A guess seemed like a lot to Rize; she was, after all, completely clueless herself.

Chiya nodded. "As I see it, you and Syaro-chan share a special bond. You two spend time together at school and outside as well. But you have always been her senpai; even when you're not at school. Syaro-chan really looks up to you, you know? I'm sure you've realized that yourself. In our group, you're the only one she calls 'senpai'; you're the only one she looks up to like that. You're special in that way. So when Syaro-chan stopped calling you 'senpai', I guess you may have felt a little less special. You probably subconsciously felt that the special senpai-kouhai bond that you two shared was no more. I think that's why you want Syaro-chan to start calling you 'senpai' again."

Rize bit her lip. Chiya's guess wasn't just a simple guess; it was a full-fledged explanation... one she couldn't quite bring herself to deny. So she wanted to feel _special_ , huh? _That_ was the problem?

"So I really am being selfish..." Rize grumbled.

"I wouldn't call it being selfish," said Chiya.

Rize sighed. "I don't see what else I can call it, Chiya."

"It's not selfishness when both of you want it."

"What?" It was only then that Rize remembered what Chiya had said at first. "Wait a minute. What did you mean by 'Syaro-chan would like that too'? You can't be serious. Why would she want that?"

"Just like it makes you feel special to be called 'senpai', it makes _her_ feel special to be the only one to call you that. Trust me, Rize-chan. Syaro-chan will be more than happy to go back to addressing you as 'senpai'."

Rize stared at Chiya, not entirely convinced. But if Chiya was right, then that just meant that she had caused problems not just for herself but for Syaro as well. Somehow, that thought made her feel worse.

Noticing the grimace that was forming on Rize's face, Chiya said, "Talk with Syaro-chan. I assure you that you won't regret it."

Rize looked at Chiya and saw how calm and confident she looked. After another moment of hesitation, Rize made up her mind; she'd talk to Syaro and sort things out.

Now the only question was _when_.

* * *

When Rize was small, she used to enjoy pretend-tailing people. She rarely ever got caught back then and so her hobby had never caused her any problems. Rize had to admit that even at her current age, that one time she had tailed Aoyama with Maya was pretty fun. But what she was doing now wasn't fun in the least. Not at all.

Rize carefully peeked around the corner to watch Syaro. It was a miracle that she hadn't been discovered yet. Though in all honesty, Rize had the feeling that everyone in her school knew what she was up to. After all, Rize was presently tailing Syaro at school. And she was painfully aware of everyone's confused, albeit amused gazes.

Why exactly was she hiding again? Rize wasn't sure. Her original intention was to approach Syaro and have a heart-to-heart with her. But when she saw the blonde, she hesitated and then chickened out. Rize couldn't afford to not talk to Syaro though so when she saw her kouhai walking away, she followed behind her. Somehow, that had led to the present situation with Rize literally tailing Syaro in the hopes of finding the opportune moment and the courage to finally go and speak to her.

Rize was beginning to doubt said moment would ever come.

 _But I can't give up! I have to talk to her. If I don't, I – Hey... Is she leaving?!_

Rize furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as Syaro left the building and headed towards the school's gate. A few seconds later, she suddenly remembered; school was over, wasn't it? And now it was time for club activities to start. Syaro wasn't a member of any of the clubs so she was heading back. Fortunately, Rize wasn't supposed to help out the clubs today so she could follow Syaro. Rize took a few steps forward but groaned when she realized that she didn't have her bag with her.

"Damn it!" Rize muttered as she sprinted back to her classroom. _Note to self: Make sure to be fully prepared the next time you tail someone!_

Rize expertly avoided crashing into anybody as she ran down the hallways and entered her classroom. Grabbing her bag, she ran out of the room and swiftly made her way towards the school gate. She could only hope that she'd be able to catch sight of Syaro.

Once she reached the gate, she looked around. To her dismay, Syaro was nowhere to be seen.

 _It's Tuesday today. So Syaro's shift is a little later than usual. She should be headed home then..._

Rize decided to head in the direction of Syaro's house. She jogged down the streets and a few turns later, she was pleased to see Syaro walking in front of her. Rize slowed down to catch her breath and, maintaining a safe distance, she continued to follow Syaro.

Rize was seriously beginning to hate herself. Aoyama's stalking tendencies annoyed her because she knew how much it bothered Syaro and now she was doing exactly the same thing herself. Rize wanted to sigh at how pathetic she was being but she couldn't lest she get caught. Honestly, if Syaro figured out that Rize had been following her around for the better part of the past half hour, just what would the younger girl think of her? Syaro looked up to her and Rize _really_ didn't want that to change.

 _But how am I supposed to approach her? If I go to her now, she'll know that I was following her. What should I do?_

Rize's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone screaming. She looked up to see that the source was none other than Syaro who was currently running towards her at full speed. Syaro crashed into her and Rize reeled back from the sudden impact. She grabbed Syaro's shoulders to steady her and somehow managed not to topple over.

Syaro looked up to see who had caught her. Her eyes widened when she realized who exactly was holding her.

"Rize-chan?!"

Before Rize could ask Syaro why she had changed course all of a sudden, Syaro froze up with a terrified expression on her face and then she started running around in circles while screaming. It didn't take Rize too long to figure out why; Anko had latched onto her back. Rize put the pieces together when she saw that they were barely a few meters away from Ama Usa An. Anko probably saw Syaro in the distance and when he ran towards her, she ran in the opposite direction. Anko must have continued to chase her and when Rize caught Syaro, the black rabbit caught up to her and jumped onto her back.

Rize grabbed ahold of the blonde and said, "Calm down, Syaro. I'm here, aren't I?"

Rize proceeded to pull Anko off of Syaro's back and she was pleased to see the younger girl relax immediately. Rize looked down at the rabbit in her arms and frowned. She liked Anko but he bothered Syaro so much that she was actually beginning to feel slightly mad at the small animal.

 _Oh, great..._ _Now I'm angry_ _with_ _a rabbit of all things. A_ rabbit _. What's wrong with me?_

"Um, what are you doing here, Rize-chan?"

Rize snapped out of her thoughts. It was only then that she realized that her cover had been blown. _What am I doing here? What should I say?_

"Uh... Well..."

Syaro looked at her questioningly. It was rare to see Rize at such a loss. Though lately, Syaro felt that Rize's behavior was a bit off. It seemed as though something was troubling her.

"Is everything alright?" Syaro asked in a slightly worried tone. The concern in her voice did not go unnoticed by Rize.

"Actually, there's something I need to talk to you about," Rize answered, finally deciding to tell the truth. She didn't want to worry her kouhai any further. It was time to come clean.

"Oh, really?" asked an intrigued Syaro. "Why don't you come to my house then? I'll make you some tea."

"Yeah, sure," Rize replied, relieved that Syaro didn't ask her anything else.

"Just don't bring _him_."

Rize followed Syaro's gaze to the rabbit in her arms and laughed. "Don't worry. I wasn't planning on bringing him along." _Not when I know how scared you are of him._

Rize placed Anko down in front of Ama Usa's door and then she and Syaro entered the latter's house. Thankfully, Anko didn't try to follow. Once inside, Rize sat on Syaro's bed and watched the younger girl busy herself with making tea.

Rize made no attempt to start a conversation and when Syaro sat two cups of tea on the table, Rize seated herself on the floor and wordlessly took a few sips. Syaro sat opposite to her and did the same for a while until she finally decided to break the silence.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

Rize looked at the curious girl in front of her and wondered what could possibly be the most elegant way to say what she wanted to say. Screw that. What she was searching for was the least _pathetic_ way.

"Uh... Well..." Rize started.

Syaro looked at Rize expectantly.

"You've been calling me 'Rize-chan' for quite some time now."

"Eh? Oh, yeah..."

"Well... Do you like calling me that?"

A slightly upset expression crossed Syaro's face. But it vanished as soon as it came and was quickly replaced by a smile. Rize, who was observing her closely, didn't miss it though.

"I don't dislike it, Rize-chan," Syaro said with a smile that Rize was sure was fake.

Syaro was good at masking her emotions but not good enough. Rize understood now that Chiya had been telling the truth. Rize relaxed considerably; the conversation she had been dreading was not going to be so difficult after all.

"You're lying, aren't you Syaro?"

Syaro looked at Rize in shock. _Did Chiya tell her something? But I told her not to say anything!_

"You can call me 'senpai' again."

"B-but it's not necessary, Rize-chan."

"It is. Because I _want_ you to call me 'senpai'."

Syaro blinked in confusion. Did she hear correctly? Wasn't Rize the one who told her not to call her 'senpai' all the time?

"I'm really sorry, Syaro. I really am. But in these past few days I've realized that it feels strange to hear you call me 'Rize-chan'."

"Seriously? You're not joking, right?" Syaro asked, still as confused as ever.

Rize shook her head. "I'm not joking. Trust me."

"But... You... It feels _strange_?" Syaro was still absolutely perplexed.

Rize blushed in response. She lowered her head and said in a soft voice, "I like being the only one in our group who you address differently."

Syaro stared at Rize for a while longer before breaking into a wide smile.

"Well then. I guess I'll go back to addressing you as I always have, Rize-senpai."

A wave of relief flooded over Rize when she heard Syaro call her 'senpai' outside school for the first time in over a week. Rize looked up to see Syaro beaming at her. This smile wasn't fake; she was sure of it. When Rize had suggested the change, she hadn't considered how Syaro would feel. She regretted it now; she had caused so much trouble for both of them.

"Yeah," said Rize with a soft smile. "Call me 'senpai' like you always have."

"Yes, senpai!"

Rize took a sip of her tea, pleased that things were finally back to normal. Then a thought occurred to her.

"Hey, Syaro?"

"Yes?"

"Did you really not want to call me 'Rize-chan'? Because you called me 'Rize-chan' every single time. You didn't call me 'senpai' even once by mistake."

Syaro gave her a proud smile. "What can I say? I'm very good at adjusting."

"Hmmm. I suppose you are."

Rize brought her teacup to her lips and felt that life was incredibly great at the moment. She had been worried for nothing. Everything was back to the way they used to be and she could finally bask in peace. Rize smiled contentedly... until her eyes drifted to Syaro's wall clock.

"Oh no! I have to get to work!" Rize exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

"When's your shift?" Syaro asked.

"In five minutes! Syaro, I have to go now. Bye!"

With that, Rize grabbed her bag and ran out the door. Syaro stared at the door for some time before letting out a laugh. Usually, she was the one who worried about being late to work. It seemed as though their roles had been reversed this time.

* * *

The next day, Chiya and Syaro had some time off from work and so they decided to visit Rabbit House. Syaro hummed happily on their way there remembering that she wouldn't have to call her senpai 'Rize-chan' anymore. Chiya smiled at her childhood friend's obvious glee. She knew the reason behind Syaro's exceptionally good mood; the girl had run over to Ama Usa barely minutes after Rize had left her house to tell Chiya everything that had happened.

Cocoa and Chino knew nothing about this. But after Syaro and Chiya entered Rabbit House, a few minutes was enough to make it obvious.

"So you're back to calling Rize-chan 'senpai' again?" Cocoa asked.

Syaro nodded happily. "It's better this way. Right, senpai?"

"Yeah," Rize said with a smile. "This feels right."

"Really?" Cocoa asked.

"Cocoa-chan," Chiya said. "It's best for them to stick with what they're comfortable with, don't you think?"

"I guess..."

"To be honest, it was a bit strange to hear Syaro-san call Rize-san anything other than 'senpai'," Chino remarked.

Cocoa laughed sheepishly. "I can't help but agree."

Rize smiled, a light blush on her cheeks. She was still a bit embarrassed about the whole incident. But it was clear to her that Syaro was truly happy now and in the end, so was she. And that was all that really mattered.

"Hey, Syaro?"

"Yes?"

"I'm supposed to help out the school clubs tomorrow. If you have time, want to help me out?"

Rize stood mesmerized as a bright and elated smile spread across Syaro's face.

"Yes, senpai!"

* * *

 **So, did you like the fic? I hope you did. There really aren't enough Rize/Syaro fics out there. They deserve more love.**

 **Constructive criticism is welcome. I believe everyone's in character but feel free to tell me if you think any of the characters are OOC.**

 **Okay then guys, read and review!**


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